Azelon's gaze narrowed. "I only want to be certain you won't spiral tonight."
"I won't." Corin clenched his jaw.
Azelon glanced down. "Your magic is making the floorboards creak."
Corin glanced down, noticing the subtle warping of the wood beneath his feet. "Oh no, not the floorboards. However will the world survive?"
"Corin—"
"Don't." The word came out sharper than he intended. "Don't pretend you have the right to comment on my choices after what you told me today."
Azelon's expression hardened. "So you're turning to Jamie to spite me?"
The accusation hit too close to a truth Corin wasn't ready to acknowledge. "Is that what you think of me? That I'd use him like that?"
"I think you're hurt and looking for someone to make the pain stop," Azelon said, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper.
Corin laughed, the sound weak even to his own ears. "And what's wrong with that? What's wrong with turning to someone who doesn't act like I'm a burden they're stuck with?"
"That's not?—"
"Save it," Corin interrupted. "You made your choice. Go dream about your glorious return to Tidespire while I figure out how to survive another night."
Without waiting for a response, Corin turned and knocked on Jamie's door, his heart hammering against his ribs. He was suddenly, acutely aware of Azelon still standing behind him, watching.
The door opened, revealing Jamie in sleep pants and a soft-looking t-shirt. His hair was damp, as if he'd just bathed. He glanced from Corin to Azelon, then back again.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Fine," Corin said brightly, too brightly. "Just wondering if your generous offer of nightmare-sitting is still open."
Something shifted in Jamie's expression—understanding, maybe, or concern. He stepped back without hesitation. "Of course. Come in."
Corin slipped past him, pointedly not looking back at Azelon. The door closed behind him, and suddenly he was alone with Jamie.
But was he really just here to spite Azelon?
To provoke the blue-skinned man who'd chased away his nightmares and filled his dreams?
Shame burned through him, making his skin feel too tight. "I shouldn't have come," he muttered. "This was?—"
"Stop," Jamie said, his voice gentle but firm. "Whatever's going on between you and Azelon, you don't need to explain it to me."
"But I'm using you," Corin blurted, the honesty tearing from him before he could stop it. "I came here because I knew he was watching, because I wanted to hurt him like he hurt me, and that's not fair to you."
Jamie considered this, his expression thoughtful rather than offended. "Are nightmares still a concern?"
"Yes, but?—"
"Then part of your motivation was genuine need," Jamie said reasonably. "The rest is between you and Azelon."
He moved toward the bed, pulling back the covers as if the matter was settled. "The store made the bed bigger," he observed. "Apparently it agrees with this arrangement."
Corin stood frozen, struggling to process Jamie's easy offer of comfort.
"I don't deserve this," he whispered.
Jamie paused, looking back at him. "Why? Because your motivations aren't perfectly pure? Welcome to being human, Corin."
